Shinto-Buddhism

Shinto-Buddhism was a syncretic Japanese religion which combined elements of native Shintoism with foreign Buddhism, serving as the only organized religion in the country until the 1870s. Shinto-Buddhism, also known as Shinbutsu-shūgō, often consists of visiting Buddhist temples and praying for luck and happiness at Shinto shrines, or other combinations of the two faiths. Both faiths are biocentric, as the Shinto faith honors sacred spirits in nature. Since the arrival of Buddhism, many Shinto shrines and deities were combined with Buddhist temples and figures. However, during the 1870s, Emperor Meiji made attempts to separate Shintoism from Buddhism, cultivating a personality cult through Shintoism's reverence of the emperor. Despite these efforts, Shintoism and Buddhism are often still practiced together.